Student Complaints and Grievances

Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC) is committed to a policy of fair treatment of its students in their relationships with fellow students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Students are encouraged to seek an informal resolution of the matter directly with the faculty or individual(s) involved when possible. For matters where a resolution is not feasible, an Academic and Non-Academic Concerns/Complaint form must be completed. After you complete the complaint form, it is reviewed by the Office of Student Services and forwarded to the appropriate administrative official based on the subject matter.

A grievance must be initiated within 45 days of the date of origin of the grievance. The grievance procedure must be completed with 60 days of the receipt of the written complaint by SENMC.

The VPSS Office will monitor the activity and maintain the student complaint log. The student complaint log will contain the following information:

1. requirement that the students with complaints or grievances against an institution first seek to resolve their complaint or grievance directly with the institution;
2. a time frame within which the institution will investigate and respond to the complaint
3. assurance that the representative of the institution investigating or addressing the complaint will serve as an impartial representative and is not directly involved in the subject matter to which the complaint is related;
4. assurance that no adverse action will be taken against the complainant for registering the complaint: and
5. identification of the higher education department as the agency to be contacted in cases where a complaint cannot be resolved and include the mailing address, website, and phone number for the department.
   

Financial Aid Problem Resolution

If you have issues concerning financial aid that could not be resolved by Southeast New Mexico College, you have the option of filing a complaint with one of these departments.

New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) Complaint Process

The New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) reviews complaints regarding public and private post-secondary institutions in New Mexico.

NMHED  may facilitate complaints that were unable to be resolved through the institution’s internal complaint process. Generally, in order to file a complaint with NMHED, students must have already filed a complaint and received a response from the institution.  Students who have legitimate reasons preventing them from filing a complaint with SENMC must provide supporting documentation in that regard.

All complaints submitted to  NMHED must be notarized and include:

• The Complaint Form from NMHED
• A FERPA Release Form
• A copy of the complaint that was filed with the institution
• A copy of the response/ruling received from the institution or supporting documentation why a complaint could not be filed with the institution
• A HIPPA release form but only if the complaint is medical in nature (e.g., disability, injury, illness, etc.)

More information can be found on NMHED’s website: https://hed.nm.gov/students-parents/student-complaints.

NMHED does not review complaints related to student conduct violations or student grades. The complaint form may be accessed on NMHED’s website: https://hed.nm.gov/students-parents/nc-sara or by emailing HigherEd.Info@hed.nm.gov.

FSA Complaint Process

Customer Service

Do you have a question about Federal Student Aid or one of the other services FSA and the United States Department of Education offers? Feel free to contact the Customer Service Center.  Please note that you should also contact the Customer Service Center   before  entering dispute resolution with the Ombudsman Group.

Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC): 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)

TTY (for the hearing impaired): 1-800-730-8913

Locations without access to 800 numbers: 319-337-5665

You may email FSA at FederalStudentAidCustomerService@ed.gov or you may contact FSA online at https://studentaid.gov/help-center/contact.

If you need FAFSA help, please visit https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/landing.

FSA Call Center hours are as follows:

The Office of the Ombudsman

If you’re in a dispute about your   federal student loan, contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group as a last resort. The Office of the Ombudsman is the final resource after borrowers seek resolution through other customer service avenues. Borrowers concerned about student loans should call the toll-free number or visit the Ombudsman section of studentaid.gov for more information.

The Ombudsman Group is dedicated to helping resolve disputes related to Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, and Guaranteed Student Loans.

When contacting the Ombudsman Group, be ready to:

• Identify the problem and the reason behind it
• Define your expectations
• Describe the actions you have already taken to resolve the problem
• Supply documentation to support your position

To contact the Office of the Ombudsman, please use the following information.

You may also obtain information about  dispute resolution online .

National Council For State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) Complaints

Southeast New Mexico College is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), and as such abides by the  Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education and the provisions of the NC-SARA Policy Manual. Being an NC-SARA recognized institution increases access to Southeast New Mexico College distance education for students from other states and territories.

If an SENMC distance education student in another NC-SARA state has a complaint the student must first go through the standard procedure for resolution of student grievances for the College, detailed above. If the complaint persists after using the Southeast New Mexico College complaint procedures, the complaint may be brought to the New Mexico SARA portal agency entity and the New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED). The SARA portal entity in the state where the student is located will be notified that a complaint has been received and may assist as needed.

NMHED does not review complaints related to student conduct violations or student grades. The complaint form may be accessed on NMHED’s website: https://hed.nm.gov/students-parents/nc-sara or by emailing HigherEd.Info@hed.nm.gov.

See the information above for more information or contact Juanita Garcia, Vice President for Student Affairs in Room 111 of the Main Building, call (575) 234-9220 or email jgarcia@senmc.edu.

Title IX

For more information see Title IX